


Out Of Practice

by breeisonfire



Series: TAG prompt fics [17]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Gen, LORD ALMIGHTY
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-21 05:42:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12450789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breeisonfire/pseuds/breeisonfire
Summary: Anon requested "6. You can't die. Please don't die."





	Out Of Practice

**Author's Note:**

> I totally forgot to upload this one when I published it on tumblr. Rip in pieces me. Also, this feels very very self-indulgent. Ugh.

It’s been a long time since the last time Virgil flew Thunderbird Three, but Alan’s out on a supply run with Scott, and Gordon’s on a not-so-secret date with Lady Penelope. Kayo’s in a meeting with the GDF and Virgil’s not actually sure if Kayo knows _how_ to fly Three.

So it’s just Virgil, and he has no time to wait for anyone else.

John’s hurt.

John’s hurt _bad_ , and EOS is panicking over Virgil’s comm. John had been on his way down in the space elevator and something had malfunctioned. His comm is still working, but John’s not answering, which is so wrong to Virgil he feels like he’s going to be sick. John’s always on the line with them. Always.

EOS reports John’s vitals are weak but steady for the moment as Virgil suits up and pretends he doesn’t hate space. It’s just space, John lives up there and Alan’s up and down like a yo-yo, he’ll be fine even if his feet aren’t on solid ground. Even if he’s in Alan’s ‘bird instead of his own.

It’s been a _really_ long time. He can’t screw this up, this is their only way to get to John and if he somehow damages Three, John’s the one who will pay the price.

He doesn’t have time for pride. He swallows it immediately and calls Alan.

“Hey, Virgil, what’s up?” Alan sounds happy, which probably means Scott’s given into one of his ridiculous requests. Virgil hates to ruin his baby brother’s good mood, but he’s running out of time.

“It’s John,” he says. He can almost hear Alan switch from normal kid to International Rescue operative.

“Okay,” Alan says. “Give me a minute, I’ll find Scott and we’ll be on our way.”

“We don’t have time,” Virgil says. “I need you to talk me through preflight and launch.”

“...You’re gonna fly Three?” Alan sounds somewhat skeptical. Virgil pushes aside his annoyance - Alan’s no doubt remembering the comet incident and how tense Virgil had been throughout it. He’d been okay once he’d had something to focus on, but in between had been hell. Besides, it’s common knowledge Virgil hates space and it has been a very, _very_ long time since he’s flown Three.

“John’s hurt,” Virgil says. “We don’t have time to wait for you to get back to the island and I’m the only one here. We don’t really have a choice.”

To his credit, Alan accepts this without another word. His instructions are clear and thorough and Virgil launches without a problem, even as he’s sweating. If Alan notices, he doesn’t mention it.

It takes him no time at all to find the space elevator. Thunderbird Five’s aligned with the island for John’s descent. Virgil’s grateful. He’s gripping the controls too tightly and he’s trying to not feel nauseous.

“Virgil, you’re gonna have to go EVA,” Alan says. He’s on his way back to the island with Scott now and has taken on John’s usual role, eyes on the ground instead of eyes in the sky. It’s a bizarre twist from how things usually work.

“What?” Virgil asks, staring at the space elevator. Something’s definitely wrong; he’s never seen it up close in space before, but he’s pretty sure there’s not supposed to be a huge dent in the side. There’s debris littering the area around it. Virgil can’t help but wonder if John didn’t know about it. He can’t imagine that.

“It’s the easiest and fastest way to get to him,” Alan says. “EOS says John has his helmet on, and the elevator is too fragile for a cable to connect to it. You’re gonna have to go EVA and evac him off that way.”

Virgil swallows hard and pulls his helmet on. “F-A-B.”

Virgil’s never used Alan’s board before. He’d expected it to be like surfing, or snowboarding (which he also hasn’t done in a long time), but he hadn’t factored in the fact that in space, he has pretty much no resistance. He overshoots the elevator by a lot and nearly collides with a piece of debris, barely twisting in time to miss it.

He goes a bit slower and hits the space elevator head on this time. Literally head on, because he forgot to slow down in time, and God, does he _hate_ space.

By some miracle, the door is intact and opens with only a bit of trouble. Virgil ducks inside and takes in the damage.

John’s in the seat, his legs pinned by the dent in the wall. He’s conscious, if barely, and doesn’t react to the door opening beyond a twitch. He’s deathly pale, but his helmet is on tight and he’s breathing.

“Hey, John,” he says, leaning forward. John blinks and turns his head slowly, but it seems to be too much effort, since he stops halfway. That’s okay. He’s conscious and sort of responsive, and that’s more than Virgil had been expecting.

He’s keenly aware that he’s going to have to move John, and it’s not going to be pleasant. He cuts through the metal pinning John’s legs and tries to hide his wince. John’s space suit held up and there’s no rips or tears, but his legs are misshapen, and it can’t feel good.

“Virgil, John’s blood pressure is dropping,” Alan warns. For the first time, there’s a hint of fear in his voice.

Virgil grits his teeth. He yanks the restraint off of John and pulls him carefully out of the seat. At least the lack of gravity means that Virgil won’t have to put any weight on John and can carry him easily. He can see John’s lips turning blue as he gathers him in his arm.

“Virgil!” Alan says, and now there’s more than a hint of fear. “His heart rate -.”

“I know, I know,” Virgil says, moving out of the elevator. Thunderbird Three looks like it’s miles away and Virgil has to keep from looking down at the earth, but he gets John into the cargo bay without any problems.

He doesn’t remember getting the first aid kit, but it’s there in his hands, so he must have. He’s got John strapped down to a stretcher and gets John’s suit off the best he can to get to John’s arm. His hands are somehow still steady as he gets an IV into John’s arm, and it’s then that he realizes he’s muttering to himself.

“You can’t die, please don’t die.”

Virgil’s never been this panicked before. The combination of John’s injury and radio silence, having to fly Thunderbird Three, and being in space has made him unable to keep calm as he usually can, and the fact that he’s alone, in space, in Thunderbird Three, with John who is clearly in shock and injured is not helping.

“Virgil?” Alan’s still on the line. He sounds calm again, an odd contrast to Virgil’s panic, and it’s this that somehow grounds Virgil. He takes a deep breath.

“I’m here,” he says, though he has no doubt Alan’s been listening to his minor breakdown.

“You’ve got clearance to land at a GDF medical facility,” Alan says. “I’m transmitting coordinates to Three, they know you’re coming and I’ve given them all the information I have. I can pilot Three remotely but a landing will be too risky and even reentry is inadvisable. I’ll need you in the cockpit.”

“F-A-B,” Virgil says. “It’s going to be rough on John.”

“We don’t have a choice,” Alan says. He says it in a matter-of-fact tone and Virgil nods.

“Okay,” he says. “I’m heading to the cockpit.”

The landing is rough and Virgil feels bad for both John _and_ for Three, because he’s pretty sure he’s damaged one of the thrusters, but he doesn’t let himself think about it. He gets John’s stretcher down to the waiting medical staff.

John’s rushed off to the ER. Virgil watches, feeling strangely distant and heavy, as the doors close behind them. He knows he feels this way because the adrenaline he’s been feeling since EOS first came on the comm is taking its toll, but it doesn’t change how he feels.

He very rarely feels this bad after a rescue. This one feels different, like Virgil was in over his head in a way he’s never felt before. He doesn’t like it.

A hand comes down on his shoulder, startling him, but when he turns to look, it’s just Scott, looking at him with concern. Alan’s two steps behind him, looking up at his ‘bird. Virgil doesn’t miss the way he grimaces when he gets down to the thrusters.

“You okay?” Scott asks. He’s out of uniform, as is Alan. Virgil’s not sure why he finds that so funny, but he manages to turn the snort into a cough.

“I’ll be fine,” he says. Scott’s obviously not convinced, but he doesn’t push.

“You did good,” Scott says, squeezing Virgil’s shoulder. “Let’s go see what they can tell us.”

Virgil nods. He’s exhausted and ready to sit down. He tries to hide how shaky he is, but Scott clearly knows, if the way his grip on Virgil’s shoulder tightens is any indication.

Alan catches up to them right before they go through the door and says, “Not bad, Virgil.”

“The landing sucked,” Virgil admits.

“Still better than the time Scott tried to land on the moon and stranded us there for two days,” Alan says.

Scott sighs. “You’re never going to let that go, are you?”

“Two days, Scott,” Alan says, without heat. Virgil shakes his head, a tired grin on his face.

“Is anybody going to go get Grandma?” he asks.

“That’s Gordon’s job,” Scott says.

“Or it will be if he ever answers his phone,” Alan adds. “He does know we all know what he’s doing, right?”

“Let him think he has us fooled,” Scott says. “At least this way he’s preoccupied with sneaking around with Lady Penelope and not trying to move my bed onto the roof again.”

“I still say that was genius,” Alan says.

“You’re not the one who had bird poop on his pillow.”

It’s then that Alan’s phone starts ringing and he pulls it out and grins. “Speak of the devil. Hi, Gordon.”

Alan steps away to catch Gordon up to speed and Virgil drops into a chair. Scott goes up to the front desk, then wanders off for a moment. He comes back with a water bottle, which he hands to Virgil.

“Drink,” he says. “You’re still shaking.”

Virgil makes a face, but does as told. Scott sits in the chair next to him and exhales.

“There’s no updates yet,” he says. “They’ll let us know when they can.”

Virgil nods. “Okay.”

“We’ll need to figure something out,” Scott says. “I talked to Colonel Casey about some down time for us until we know what’s going on. Once we know how John’s doing, we’ll go from there.”

Virgil nods again. Scott gives him a look, but doesn’t say anything about it.

Alan comes back after a while and sits down on Virgil’s other side. They’re still there waiting when Gordon, Grandma, and Brains come through the doors. Virgil stays seated, but Alan gets up to greet them. Virgil just watches.

Each minute that goes by feels like it’s longer than the previous one and Virgil’s starting to get antsy by the time they finally get an update. Virgil’s the only one in uniform, so he’s the one the doctor zeroes in on.

John’s alive and stable. That’s the important part, and Virgil’s so relieved he nearly misses the next part. John’s legs were both crushed. They’re not sure he’ll be able to walk again. There’s talk of surgery, physical therapy, new experimental methods, but Virgil’s stopped listening. John’s alive. He’ll hate being stuck on Earth, hate being wheelchair-bound, but he’s alive.

The rest they can get through. They did it once with Gordon and they’ll do it again with John. Even if he doesn’t end up walking again, John’s job will still be waiting for him, and he’ll still be a part of the team. It’ll take some adjustment and Virgil’s not stupid. He knows John will hate it.

Still. He’s _alive_ and Virgil can finally breathe again.


End file.
